The Kiteworld magazine test team head to Cape Town every year in January and February because of the reliable, strong winds and frequent swells. They want to see how kitesurfing equipment performs in challenging conditions when there’s chop, waves, strong and sometimes gusty winds – and Cape Town offers that up in spades!

A number of the kites this year displayed performance abilities previously only found in freestyle specific C-kites. The crossover capabilities of modern freeride kites are improving every year, to the point where, in 2016, only the most specialised of riders in either wave riding or freestyle will need to look too far beyond these freeride kites when choosing their next quiver. (You’ll also hear about the Vegas and Torch as Bully’s standouts in this video, too).